S8E05
Doc POV
Getting the equipment they needed into Citizen Z's future Z-TV broadcast station took a grand total of fifteen minutes given all the help they had from volunteer citizens. Getting it all up and running properly and sanitizing everything took another twenty. Hastings had left Murphy in the ambulance with her EMT while she directed people on where she wanted what and designated a room for the operation. Rita's leadership skills also helped to keep everyone moving in an orderly and timely fashion and Doc could see how she'd been able to keep a functioning and thriving apocalyptic community going for so many years.
He hadn't mentioned to her that two of her people had been on the list of hostages George had read him. He knew how she'd react and he didn't want anything to cloud her mind – especially when she could really do nothing more than pace outside with George and get frustrated about it. She'd learn about Eric and Mariah soon enough anyway, right now she was in her element and he wasn't going to be the one to break her flow.
Once everything was in its place to Hasting's liking she radioed the EMT to bring Murphy over with Danny's help. Minutes later the unconcious pale red man himself was wheeled in on a stretcher and Hastings turned to Doc and nodded before they both washed up as best they could.
He felt like a real doctor in a spare set of Hasting's scrubs, face mask, surgical cap and gloves that went to his elbow. He felt like he had just finished med school but unfortunately didn't have much time to bask in the feeling before he and Hastings went into the last minute O.R. to try and do what they could for Murphy.
"It'll be hard to determine if there's any bone fragment in his brain tissue without an EEG, PET, MRI or CT scan." Hastings explained as she removed the bandage wrap they'd put on him in the ambulance. The excess blood had drained and the hole was scabbed and had clotted. "Some kind of scan that could give us any more information to go off of."
"And what about any residual pieces?" Doc asked as the EMT entered as fully dressed as they were and rolled over a tray of tools from the ambulance and infirmary that had been sterilized. Hastings shook her head as she grabbed a scalpel and prepared to make the first incision.
"It's not just the pieces, it's the bleeding they've caused."
"Well how can you stop that?"
"Not with stitches, not in the brain tissue. I'll mainly be tying things off." She said as she cut across the side of Murphy's skull and the EMT worked to tend to the fresh blood so the doctor could see what she was doing. "But if I can't stop the bleeding there's a good chance that all of this is for nothing and he'll be dead in twenty four hours."
Doc swallowed nervously before getting his head back in the game. Emotional attachment to a patient always ended badly, to help Murphy he'd have to look at him as just a patient and not his friend.
"Okay, what do you need me to do?"
"Get those sutures ready." She nodded to more equipment on another table. "I'm going to have my hands full with removing the dislodged portion of his skull, I'll either need your hands to hold open this incision or assist in tying off the bleeding arteries and tissues."
He took a deep breath and rolled over the second table of equipment and braced himself to do some pretty knarly things to a brain. And Murphy's brain no less, there was information in there he'd picked up from Merch, Sun Mei and who knew how many other zombies and blends?
"Uh, doc, there's something you should know about this brain." He began, making Hastings pause and look at him, "There's more than just his thoughts in there. It's also everyone else he's connected with, the zombie mind control voodoo and everything he picks up from eating other brains." He shuddered, "Thinking about that last one still gives me the willies."
Hastings nodded professionally before getting back to work.
"Alright, I can move this broken piece out of the way." She said as she pulled out said piece of skull, "I'll worry about stapling it back into place once we're sure there's no other damage underneath."
"How bad is it?" he asked standing on the opposite side of the table where he was out of her way but still able to get a good look.
"The bone fragments could be imbedded in primary function tissue, I need to be careful if it is. This procedure will be like driving without a map, only with driving a scalpel into a brain, it could turn him into a vegetable."
Third Person POV
"She needs a doctor!" Bailey cried from her place beside Kaya between the couch and the pillar.
"Calm down, it will be okay." Kaya tried to relax her but Bailey was reaching her last nerve.
"Just let Red help her." She called to the leader who was looking at her from across the room. He made his way over and she stood straighter with each step he took. He grinned at her when he reached her but she kept her chin high hoping that if she seemed determined enough he'd do what she asked to keep her from starting trouble. It was a risky play but Addy was running out of time if they didn't do something.
"Say please." The leader asked before he ran his hand along the side of her face. The touch instantly broke her mask as she tilted her head away and her eyes left his face. A shiver went down her spine at the tone of his voice and his hand on her skin, "Pretty please."
She took a deep breath and put her stony mask back on before looking him dead in the eye, "Please."
He smirked, "And what are you willing to give me in return?"
10K, who had his eyes glued to them, moved to stand up. He didn't think about what he was doing, his instincts to protect Bailey kicked in and the response was automatic. Warren, keeping one hand on Addy's side grabbed the front of his shirt with her other hand and pulled him back down before he got high enough to be noticed.
"I'm sure we can come up with an arraignment. Should we go somewhere more private?" The leader asked.
This time 10K's rage was stronger than Warren's grip as he ripped free of her hold, stood and took a step toward the man, "You lay a hand on her and I swear –"
Two goons grabbed him, one holding him back while the other put the barrel of his automatic rifle to the side of Tommy's head, right behind his ear. The silent threat to his life was enough to shatter Bailey's mask completely this time as she reacted.
"No! Don't hurt him!" she shouted but the leader stood in her way so she couldn't run over and do a thing. She turned to the man, her chest moving rapidly up and down as her fear took over, "It's just his protective instincts. He was just afraid you were going to hurt me."
She tried to keep her voice calm, the defiant act clearly not going to get her anywhere. But maybe if she appeared weak and afraid, which was easy since she was, it might keep her and Tommy safe.
"Are you afraid?" The leader asked and through her ragged breathing she turned to 10K. She couldn't read the look on his face for once, there were too many mixed emotions to tell what he was feeling or if there was anything he was trying to convey. Turning back to the leader she found he was just as difficult to read, with an actual mask on she had no facial expressions to gage and dressed in layers of all black made his body language harder to decipher too. She couldn't tell if he was tense under the black shirt and jacket which would have been helpful to know. Her long hesitation to answer his question also seemed to try his patience. "Come now, what's your answer?"
From what little she knew about this man she did know he liked to play games. What she said next could very well be his reasoning behind whether he had his lacky kill 10K right then and there. She took a deep breath and instead of hiding behind a mask she let herself show, "What answer saves Tommy?"
For a long second the leader did nothing. His expression didn't change and he didn't move. Then he smirked, "That one." Then he turned to 10K, "Congratulations, your lovely lady just bought you more time. Now. . . let's change things up a bit."
This time 10K and Red were switched and Warren was pulled away from Addy and Bailey took her place. Warren ended up with Eric while Katie was shoved across the room to be with Kaya. Mariah was with Ray and Annie was with Leroy.
"Don't let him get to you." Finn told 10K, "If you don't get a grip you can get yourself and a lot of other people killed. Bailey's been through enough, she shouldn't have to watch you die."
Doc POV
"Found them." Hastings said as she poked around Murphy's brain, "It looks like a few clusters at both points of breakage – he got lucky."
Doc wasn't as confident as the veteran doctor was, "That's a very unstable area if the bone fragments –"
"I know. Suction." Hastings ordered her EMT who did as told. "I can hold these sections of his brain apart but I need you to retrieve the bone splinters."
Doc grabbed a set of extra long tweezers and hunched over the table to work.
"I see it. It migrated into this part of the lobe, it's deeply imbedded." He paused and looked up at her, "Would it be safer to navigate around it and go in from the side?"
"We don't have that kind of time."
Then on a desk that had been pushed to the side a radio began to go off. It was the one the EMT had when he'd been watching Murphy as they set up this place. It sounded like Dave's voice coming through the static now and Doc tried to block out what was said and focus but it was hard and none of them had their hands free to shut off the radio.
"Second perimeter check. . . status. . . no change. . . last news. . . twenty five hostages. . . one bullet injury. . . dy Carver."
That last bit grabbed Doc's attention as he paused his work on getting the fragments out. Addy had been shot? His heart leapt into his throat and he swallowed thickly. Could that have been what triggered Murphy's seizure on their way here? He and Addy were connected thanks to Lucy's bite, maybe her pain had set something in him off.
And how bad was Addy hurt? He listened to the static hoping a clear answer came through. Had she been shot somewhere relatively simple like the arm or the leg? Or had it been a head shot? Was she dead? Or was she still alive and needed help? They probably didn't know, it wasn't like people who took hostages cared about their well being.
He looked down at Murphy on the operating table and wished he was awake so he could at least tell him if Addy was alive or not.
"Doc?" he heard Hastings question and he looked at her, "Will you be able to carry on with this procedure?"
She clearly had seen his reaction to the radio message and knew something was up. Like he said emotional attachment always led to bad things for the guy being operated on, and Murphy was just too important to lose.
He took another deep breath having lost count of how many he'd already taken that night, "I'm okay. I got this."
Hastings nodded and they got back to work. The sooner he could get Murphy in a recovery room the sooner he'd wake up and the sooner he'd wake up the sooner he could give them more information on Addy and if she was okay.
George POV
Once Citizen Z had showed Rita and her team to the building they were going to use he returned to his computer and got back to work. With Rita helping lead the Murphy situation it gave CZ and George some time to think things over.
"Rita is going to want the list of hostages." Citizen Z told her glancing up over the top of his computer screen.
George sighed keeping her eyes on the community building, "I know."
Rita didn't know yet that Eric and Mariah were trapped in that building by the armed gunmen. She probably hadn't had time to think about them yet, but once she came back and her mind switched gears chances were that would be the first question out of her mouth.
"What are you going to tell her?"
George took her eyes off the building and turned to him, "What can I tell her? The truth. I can't lie to her, she'd find out about Eric and Mariah soon enough."
Citizen Z shook his head despairingly, "She's going to go berserk."
"I know." George replied placing her hands on her hips again, "It'll be a miracle if I can keep her from storming into the building herself."
Not long after their discussion the blonde in question was seen not too far away heading over to them.
"Hastings and Doc started their surgery on Murphy." She reported when she got within earshot, "How are things looking here?"
"We have twenty five hostages that we can account for based on eyewitness reports." George began, "Addy's been shot and we have no idea on what her condition is like. She could have been killed, or be alive, or bleeding to death we have no clue."
Rita rested her hand on George's shoulder. She knew her stress level was making it very obvious that she could fall apart at any moment.
"Stay calm." Rita advised, "Losing your composure won't help anything. You've gotten this place through some tough times. This is no different."
George took a deep breath and shared a look with CZ. He stayed quiet and turned his gaze back to his laptop while George ran a hand through her hair. "All that other stuff came to me easier. Protecting people's lives, human and Talker. Getting people the help they needed. Kicking ass when I had to. This is. . . I don't know how I'm going to do this. I could say or do something that makes it all worse and then good people don't make it out of there."
Doc POV
"Okay. . . okay he's stable." The EMT said keeping his watch on Murphy's vitals in between assisting Doc and Hastings.
"The bone is out, the tissue damage is repaired and we're ready to close up. But we won't know if this was successful until he wakes up." Hastings said as Doc passed her a tool as she stitched closed the skin over the stapled together bone of the broken skull. "The bone fragments were lodged in a very sensitive area. Even under the best conditions it's a difficult surgery. Unfortunately this isn't the best conditions, so things have to be changed to accommodate."
"What is the worst that can happen to him if there are complications?" Doc asked.
"Its hard to say." Hastings said honestly as she made the last stitch and stepped back holding her blood covered gloves up and away from her as the EMT took care of wrapping bandages around Murphy's head. "Given the superhuman abilities he seems to have. He could lose his ability to make blends. Or mentally talk to Ms. Carver and his other associates. His connection to zombies, absorbing information from the brains he eats. Any of it might be shut down or at the very least a bit different now. Like I said we won't know how successful we were until he wakes up. Right now the only thing we've done is stopped his brain from continuing to bleed until he died."
"I'll take that." Doc said happily. Murphy might not like that his voodoo skills may be gone but Doc would just be glad if he made a full recovery and didn't end up in a wheelchair, deaf or a vegetable. After all, they had just been poking around in his brain, one tap in the right place and who knew how much could go wrong.
Doc followed Hastings out and with Murphy taken care of his mind moved on to his next concern – Addy. He quickly stripped off the hospital gear and everything bloody that he was wearing from the surgery.
"I wouldn't advise leaving doctor." Hastings said as she removed her bloody gloves slower then he did.
"I've got another friend who needs medical attention."
"And what about the patient you already have?" she asked clearly meaning Murphy.
"He's out cold and there's nothing more I can do for him until he wakes up. You said that yourself." He said trying not to trip as the blue plastic things he'd been wearing began to pile up at his feet as he shed them.
"And if something goes wrong and you're needed for another procedure? The patient could still have another seizure episode. You'd be too far to get back here in time to help him."
"With all due respect doctor, I've learned how to juggle patients out on the road. That's how you keep people alive. Not giving them a number like a damn deli line."
She didn't respond and it was hard for him to figure out the way she was looking at him. Hastings was as professional as a doctor could be, Pre-Z and present day. But for a minute Doc thought there was some kind of respect coming from the woman before she looked away from him and kept removing her scrubs at her calm pace. Seeing that he wasn't getting anymore questions from her Doc turned and headed down the hall and out the door running to where he'd seen George.
George POV
"Now they would have blocked out the cameras once they got in there but can you get me footage from the moment before?" George was asking Citizen Z as she leaned over the back of the bench he was sitting on. Rita was beside her - now that George's nervous pacing had ended - as she looked from CZ to the building and back again. "I need to know how many armed people are in there and what kind of weapons they have."
"Yeah, I'm on it. . .and . . .got it." He replied as his screen started to open windows of each camera.
But before they could look into the footage a new figure ran toward the building.
"Doc!" George shouted but it didn't stop him. Then she saw the guards move for their guns, some were hesitant and the ones who drew were unsure, "No one fire without my command!"
"My people hold your fire!" Rita shouted to her own men, Red's fiancé Danny now among them, "This could be the opening we need."
The guards kept their weapons in hand in case any of the armed men came out and Doc needed cover - the old man not being their target anymore. The hippie ran to the front door out of breath and started pounding his fist against it.
Third Person POV
As Red and Bailey settled in their spots trying to tend to Addy and the others all adjusted to the latest switch there was suddenly a pounding at the door that they all turned to. The goons all pointed their guns to it but the leader held out a hand silently ordering them to stop. He seemed inquisitive, like this could be his next source of entertainment. He probably hadn't thought anyone would be bold enough to come knocking on the door.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I'm unarmed!" Doc's voice carried through the door making many of the hostages inside look to each other concerned for their friend. "I'm a doctor, I can save the girl whose been shot. No tricks, no games, I just want to help the injured woman."
The leader laughed, "Well I can't let you in." he called back like it was obvious.
"Well maybe there's something you want." Doc tried to barter, "You know they've got this place surrounded. Maybe if you let us help Addy George will be more inclined to let you and your crew walk out free."
"You and I both know George won't let us go without a fight. Especially since I'm the one responsible for Addy's fatal wound. So it seems we are at an impasse."
"Then take me in her place man. Just let Addy get some help." Doc begged. Warren looked over her shoulder at 10K. He shook his head silently telling her not to let Doc in. The last thing he needed was his grandfather's life at risk along with his own and his wife's. But before Warren could speak up and trick the leader into not taking Doc the gunman replied.
"Well I've grown attached to the hostages that I have." He said looking around the room at all of them with a smile, "But since you're here, deliver a message for me. The next time someone comes near the door a hostage dies."
There was a long silent pause before they heard Doc's retreating footsteps. But that wasn't the end of the excitement.
"She's going into shock, I need equipment!" Red shouted from Addy's side causing everyone's attention to fly to the opposite side of the room. "Suction, sutures to get the bullet out, towels, a first aid kit –" she listed her voice becoming filled with hopelessness as she realized her list was far too high a price to try and talk the leader into giving them.
"You like playing games?" Eric called from by the staircase in the center of the room. "How about we make it more interesting?"
The leader folded his hands in front of him, "I'm feeling indulgent. What did you have in mind?"
"Let me collect what I can from this floor that Red can use to perform surgery on Addy."
"Mmmm, tempting. But not just you." The leader agreed and Bailey felt her heart lift that they'd finally be able to do something to help Addy. "How about the one handed hubby? You two can take a list from Dr. Red and have a little scavenger hunt. You'll have ten minutes to come back with everything on the list or you'll be penalized."
And just like that Bailey's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach again. The leader turned from Eric to 10K, "How about a bullet to the head? Well? Chop, chop you two. Your time starts now."
Eric made his way across the room as 10K grabbed napkins off the bar and a pen. They both sat next to Red as Bailey took over applying pressure. She quickly scrawled what they needed and passed them the list.
"D, E, go with them. Shoot them if they try anything." The leader ordered two of his lackeys who then left down another hall with 10K and Eric.
To keep her mind off worrying about 10K Bailey returned her attention to Addy and did her best to help Red.
"Okay what are we doing?" she asked the doctor.
"Well the bullet entered her abdomen from the left side but I'm unable to determine the trajectory." Red replied pressing along Addy's stomach, "Her stomach is a little distended so she's bleeding internally. I'm going to need to cut her open."
"Can they get you everything you need for a procedure like that?" Bailey asked worried and skeptical.
"If they get everything on that list." Red answered.
"Well what are they looking for?"
Red took a deep breath keeping her eyes on her patient, "Towels, preferably bleached. Unopened sponges, a knife, a needle and thread, rubber gloves, duct tape. A curling iron or something hot and we'll need alcohol from the bar to try and disinfect everything. She's critically injured, her low blood volume could be enough to stop her heart. That time limit he gave Tommy and Eric might be a blessing in disguise."
Bailey let out a long deep breath. That was a lot and if Tommy didn't find it all before their time ran out. . .She shook her head getting back to Addy and trying not to think of the million ways this could go wrong.
.
I'm not sure if I ever mentioned it before but if I cast Rita she'd be Charlize Theron and Eric would be Chris Hemsworth(looking as he is in Huntsman:Winter's War) Mariah is actually from the Batch 47 episode of season 2, she was the woman they helped who had the sick little girl.